Plumbing Tips & FAQ

EIGHT MAJOR CAUSES OF CLOGGED DRAINS

Candles ...should be thrown in the trash, not the disposal. Wax can clog pipes.

Picnic Items ...such as plastic knives and forks, should be kept out of the garbage disposal. Throw them away instead.

Coffee grounds, tea bags and egg shells ...should be disposed of in the garbage, not the disposal. No fruit peelings/pits. No fish shells.

Motor and lubricating oil ...clogs drains by catching and holding unwanted debris in your pipes. Most full-service gas stations will accept used oil for recycling.

Excess hair ...clogs drains and pipes. Keep your plumbing system clear of hair by using a filter.

Large clumps of tissue paper ...dissolves too slowly.

WATER SAVING TIPS

Did you know that a 1/32 of an inch drip from a faucet willl lose 25 gallons of hot water per day and just a 1/16 inch drip will waste over 100 gallons a day?

Are there any long runs of exposed piping? Valuable heat is lost through uninsulated pipes. The gallons per minute flow rate of standard shower heads vary greatly. "Luxury" type shower heads can disperse anywhere from five to twelve gallons per minute. Reducing the flow rate at the shower or any other fixture will conserve hot water.

​High water pressure will also cause excessive usage of hot water. A fixture which dispenses three gallons per minutes at 50 lbs of pressure will increase to four gallons per minute at 80 lbs of pressure. Reducing the water pressure will stretch the available hot water.

People sometimes pour things in their sinks that cause other kinds of problems. You can help protect the environment by never pouring insecticides, household paint, gasoline, acids, kerosene or any toxic chemicals down the drain. Not only are they hard on your drains and pipes, but they make the job of treating sewage more difficult, which can increase operating costs.